Compared to Clark County's district court and its 58 judges, Carson City's 1st Judicial District Court is small. 

Yet the court's two judges oversee major cases of statewide importance — everything from election challenges to the constitutionality of statewide ballot questions — given that Carson City is the state's seat of government.

But the court's longstanding lack of electronic filing capacity has long frustrated journalists, lawmakers and others tracking court developments — requiring members of the public to attend hearings in person rather than watch a livestream, call or email the court clerk to learn when hearings are scheduled or to get legal documents, instead of searching and finding it themselves.

It even led to a bill in the 2025 Legislature to move cases to a different court if they lacked electronic access to documents and hearings. Though it was ultimately vetoed, the Carson City court system is on track to launch an online case management system sometime in the next 18 months that will allow members of the public to view court calendars, search cases and view court filings for free.

The system will allow users to electronically file documents, view publicly available court records and track case statuses online through a public-facing portal, a shift from the court's current process which largely relies on direct requests for records.

Court officials said the project is backed by $2.3 million in funding through a combination of Carson City capital improvement dollars and restricted court funds.

Currently, major election and judicial review cases are posted through a dedicated webpage, but legal records outside of those categories generally require members of the public to contact the court directly. 

"Any information related to cases that are not posted, the public is more than welcome to reach out to the Court, and we will gladly assist," Assistant Court Administrator Cody Drews said in a statement to The Nevada Independent.

Although the changeover was supposed to happen this year, Drews said implementation was delayed because the court had to re-evaluate its early plans. He said a standalone e-filing system and a statewide case management platform were ultimately found to fall short of fully improving public access or meeting the court's needs, prompting officials to pursue a more comprehensive system, which required selecting a new vendor, finalizing funding and entering contract negotiations.

Drews said the court is working toward finalizing a contract for the case management system and moving into implementation, and the longer timeline is to "allow for some contingencies, once the contract is signed and approved, in order to work."

The system would also introduce electronic filing capabilities, allowing users to submit documents digitally rather than through existing filing processes. 

"We are excited to increase access to justice in this regard," Drews said.

Expanding digital access to court documents is an important step for transparency, according to Bob Conrad, president of the Nevada Press Association.

"We applaud making courts and court filings more accessible to the public," Conrad said in a statement to The Nevada Independent. "Many courts are still operating with older technologies, and it is important for transparency that people have quick, reliable and free access to court processes."